American poets, including John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Heather McHugh, and W. S. Merwin, wrote the majority of the poems. Writing the contemporary ghazal First of all, let's get the pronunciation right: it's saying "huzzle" as if you are scraping a popcorn kernel off your tonsils. Two pronouns and a vehicle was Icarus with wings. Ghazal of the Better-Unbegun. This tight schema is maintained even when what is being discussed, as with Faiz, is political violence or social disintegration. It is quite obvious from the first stanza what the repeating word is going to be. Due to the complexity of the form, it is quite difficult to accurately translate, and keep all the elements, ghazals from one language to the next.      heard person. “From the times of K L Saigal down to the '80s ghazals have been the mainstay of film music. Among these poets, Ghalib is the recognized master. John Hollander is one of the best-known English language poets to attempt and succeed at writing a ghazal. They are usually melancholy and reserved. Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English: Goodyear, Sarah Suleri, Ali, Agha Shahid: Amazon.sg: Books this is then followed by every other couplet in which the second line rhymes with the lines of the first couplet. Merwin, worked with a literal translation of Ghalib's Urdu ghazals to render their own versions in English. Traditionally invoking melancholy, love, longing, and metaphysical questions, ghazals are often sung by Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani musicians. It is, from the first line to the last line of this excerpt: “prime,” “chime,” “rhyme,” and “lime”. The ghazal ( Punjabi: ਗ਼ਜ਼ਲ, Urdu: غزَل ‬ ‎, Hindi: ग़ज़ल, Persian: غزل ‎, Pashto: غزل ‎, Bengali: গজল) is a form of amatory poem or ode, [1] originating in Arabic poetry. Each couplet ends with the same word or phrase (known as the radif) in some versions.      surd person. Thank you! The ghazal truly is an enchanting form, and each poet, including Diane Ackerman, W. S. Merwin, William Matthews, John Hollander, and Jacqueline Osherow, fills it with sharply etched feelings and images." The form originated in seventh-century Arabia and is now most popular with Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani musicians. The ghazal form usually speaks about deep, metaphysical questions of life as well as love and longing. Of each one’s a refrain like a chime: “at the end.”. McHugh's "Ghazal of the Better-Unbegun" is a good example of the form, as it respects the autonomy of the couplets, the length of lines, as well as the rhyme-refrain scheme established in the opening couplet. I blame the soup: I'm a primordially Unlike many English poets, he chose to stick to the precise structure outlined above. Anyone! The classic 'Ghazal on Ghazals' [ site] by John Hollander is an enjoyable introduction; my friend Peter Hook Sahib 'Alone' composes English ghazals [ site] that preserve the formal qualities and mood of the traditional genre unusually well. A good example of how the words and meaning, but not the form, maybe conveyed is in Rumi’s ‘The sky has never seen such a moon’. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! For mixers, my love, you'd poured—what?—even the rain. It is an inventive and charming poem that provides the reader with insights on the ghazal form, as well as tips on how to write a ghazal. The final couplet usually includes the poet's signature, referring to the author in the first or third person, and frequently including the poet's own name or a derivation of its meaning. Ghazal (Pronounciation: “guzzle”) Originally an Arabic verse form dealing with loss and romantic love, medieval Persian poets embraced the ghazal, eventually making it their own. But in subsequent couplets throughout the whole poem, Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. too voluble? McHugh’s “Ghazal of the Better-Unbegun” is a good example of the form, as it respects the autonomy of the couplets, the length of lines, as well as the rhyme-refrain scheme established in the opening couplet. McHugh's "Ghazal of the Better-Unbegun" is a good example of the form, as it respects the autonomy of the couplets, the length of lines, as well as the rhyme-refrain scheme established in the opening couplet. Drinks were on the house. If a drop of tear drops when he’s alone, that’s love, One of the reasons is that ghazals can be so complex that they are often only accessible to those with higher levels of education (Poetry.org: Ghazal). No water could ever extinguish the fire of its light, Look at my body, and look at my soul The German poet and philosopher Goethe experimented with the form, as did the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. American poets, including John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Heather McHugh, and W. S. Merwin, wrote the majority of the poems. To carve a place for the traditional form of the ghazal in American literature, Ali put together the anthology Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English in 2000, for which he collected more than 100 ghazals, some more faithful to the traditional form than others. "when we thought / the poets taught" even the Two pronouns and a vehicle was Icarus with wings. Here are the few three couplets of ‘Ghazal’: For couplets, the ghazal is prime; at the end The phrase “at the end” appears at the end of the first two lines and then at the end of the second line in each following couplet. Subsequent couplets pick up the same scheme in the second line only, repeating the refrain and rhyming the second line with both lines of the first stanza. I blame the soup: I'm a primordially stirred person. Drought was over. too much a word-person? One of the reasons is that ghazals can be so complex that they are often only accessible to those with higher levels of education. On a string of such strange, unpronounceable fruits, In the first couplet, the writing brings in a rhyme scheme with both lines rhyming. Bollywood connection. This word or phrase is preceded by the rhyming word, known as the qafia. The form has roots in seventh-century Arabia, and gained prominence in the thirteenth- and fourteenth-century thanks to such Persian poets as Rumi and Hafiz. (This is the word that appears twice in the first couplet and then once in every couplet after). too much a word-person? Indian musicians such as Ravi Shankar and Begum Akhtar popularized the ghazal in the English-speaking world during the 1960s. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. However, here is a ghazal written in English by the American poet John Hollander that Agha Shahid Ali, one of the leading experts on the Ghazal, argued was the first authentic English approximation of the form. The lines of a ghazal are all the same length but there is no single rhyme scheme, in English, that has to be used. The first couplet introduces a scheme, made up of a rhyme followed by a refrain. Ghazal 42 by Rebecca Gould Hasan Sijzi is considered the originator of the Indo-Persian ghazal, a poetic form that endures to this day—from the legacy of Hasan’s poetic descendent, Hafez, to contemporary Anglophone poets such as John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Agha Shahid Ali, … A ghazal is a type of poem that is constructed with couplets, repeated words, and rhyming words. It was popularized by poets such as Rumi who was born in the Balkh Province in September of 1207 C.E. "our glosses / wanting in this world" "Can you remember?" Try For other uses, see |Ghazal (disa... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. The ghazal is composed of a minimum of five couplets—and typically no more than fifteen—that are structurally, thematically, and emotionally autonomous. It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen as well as by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. Below are the first three couplets: Too volatile, am I? This form does not exceed fifteen couplets at any time. He studied at Columbia University and Indiana University, and he was a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows of Harvard University. In the eighteenth-century, the ghazal was used by poets writing in Urdu, a mix of the medieval languages of Northern India, including Persian. How fine the familiar old lime at the end! Ali compared each ghazal couplet to "a stone from a necklace," which should continue to "shine in that vivid isolation." John Hollander, one of contemporary poetry’s foremost poets, editors, and anthologists, grew up in New York City. From his cup of love, my soul is drunk, my body ruined, The tavern keeper became my heart’s companion At a minimum, there are five total couplets in a poem. American poets, including John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Heather McHugh, and W. S. Merwin, wrote the majority of the poems. The rhyming word, or the qafia, is also easy to spot. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. Consisting of syntactically and grammatically complete couplets, the form also has an intricate rhyme scheme. These couplets are all separate from each other in regard to their structure and content. After we died—That was it!—God left us in the dark. The sound I make is sympathy's: sad dogs are tied afar. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. Love turned my blood into wine, and burned my heart. Then today I came across another (slightly) Indian-themed poem in an anthology called Poetry 180 (edited by Billy Collins).         rain? Today, the ghazal retains its popularity in the middle east and South Asia. Other languages that adopted the ghazal include Hindi, Pashto, Turkish, and Hebrew. And as we forgot the dark, we forgot even the rain. The ghazal originated around the 6th century in Arabic, ... WS Merwin, John Hollander and Paul Muldoon are only some of the poets writing in English entire collections or poems in the ghazal … Ghazal poems are performed in Uzbek-Tajik Shashmakom, Turkish Makam, Persian Dastgah and Uyghur Muqam. Sonnet 9: Is it for fear to wet a widow’s eye by William Shakespeare, Archaic Torso of Apollo by Rainer Maria Rilke. This example is a clever one in that it lays out the rules for writing and understanding a ghazal … The apparatus of his selves made an ab- Even the rain? It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen as well as by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. The form was used in numerous other languages, such as Pashto, Turkish and more. [2] The following couplets all use a connected rhyming word. This came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen, as well as by acclaimed Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali (d. 2001), who had been teaching and spreading word of the ghazal at various American universities over the previous two decades. But he has bought grief's lottery, bought even the rain. Sometimes a poet will choose to include something personal in the last couplet. There are many published translations from Persian and Turkish by Annemarie Schimmel, Arthur John Arberry and many others. Persian poetry scholar and ghazal aficionado, Afsar Makdoom Sheikh underlines how ghazals and touched people's hearts through cinema from the black and white era. Recently, I was the member judge of a Maine Poets Society contest. But, it has been picked up by many well-known English-speaking writers. It’s this second line only will rhyme at the end. Aijaz Ahmad's Ghazals of Ghalib; Versions from the Urdu, provides a fascinating look at how various poets, including Adrienne Rich, William Stafford, William Hunt, David Ray, and W.S. It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen as well as by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. The late American poet John Hollander explained the controlled structure through his witty ‘Ghazal on Ghazals’. Sadly Ali died in 2001. --Booklist, " [A] wonderfully stimulating collection of recent ghazals by 107 poets... [the form produces] an 'epigrammatic terseness' that does not belie the great depth of longing or, in the hands of modern …      stirred person. Ghazal "Gayaki", the art of singing or performing the ghazal in the Indian classical tradition, is very old. It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen as well as by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. The apparatus of his selves made an ab- surd person. The task is daunting, as keeping the literal meaning of each poem while respecting the rhyme, refrain, and length of lines is difficult, if not impossible. However, it was the poet Agha Shahid Ali who introduced it, in its classical form, to Americans. It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen as well as by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. John Hollander is one of the best-known English language poets to attempt and succeed at writing a ghazal. Poet John Hollander, in a ghazal about ghazals, has called the form "inaccessible, vibrant, sublime at the end" and its couplets "two frail arms of delicate form." © Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038. Rumi moves couplet to couplet connecting images of drinking, the soul, and the heart. Unlike many English poets, he chose to stick to the precise structure outlined above. Here are the first three couplets of this lovely poem: The sky has never seen such a moon, not even in its dreams, Ok, Now on to how to approach this wonderful and challenging form. THE END.- by John Hollander. This might be a reference to the author, their name, or a signature of some kind. Where was I? A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or … The Ghazal of the Week is John Hollander's "Ghazal on Ghazals," which is regarded as one of the finest examples of the form in English. This example is a clever one in that it lays out the rules for writing and understanding a ghazal and its various couplets. Hello, Sign in. It is held in high regard by the nobility of those regions. Ali has referred to ghazals as "Kashmiri paisleys tied into the golden hair of Arabic." Such as “crime,” “climb,” or “dime”. John Hollander is a genius A little while back I quoted from John Hollander's brilliant Ghazal , in Agha Shahid Ali's anthology Ravishing Disunities . A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. The ghazal ( Punjabi: ਗ਼ਜ਼ਲ, Urdu: غزَل ‬ ‎, Hindi: ग़ज़ल, Persian: غزل ‎, Pashto: غزل ‎, Bengali: গজল, Gujarati: ગઝલ,) is a form of amatory poem or ode, [1] originating in Arabic poetry. The imagery in these lines is striking. Numerous scholars and poets have attempted to translate ghazals from their original language to English. Ali's ghazal "Even the Rain" is excerpted here: What will suffice for a true-love knot? Each line of the poem must be of the same length, though meter is not imposed in English. Poets such as Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish speaking writer, also experiment with the ghazal. Elizabeth T. Gray's The Green Sea of Heaven, which offers fifty ghazals by Hafiz, provides a reliable literal translation of the Persian master, at the expense of form. Subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest and greatest poetry updates. too voluble? This came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen, as well as by acclaimed Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali (d. 2001), who had been teaching and spreading word of the ghazal at various U.S. universities over the previous two decades. But howling I become an ever more un- John Hollander is one of the best-known English language poets to attempt and succeed at writing a ghazal. This came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen, as well as by acclaimed Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali (d. 2001), who had been teaching and spreading word of the ghazal at various American universities over the previous two decades. Heather McHugh - 1948-A book is a suicide postponed.--Cioran Too volatile, am I? The ghazal (Persian: غزل‎) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. And its various couplets rules for writing and understanding a ghazal might be a reference to the author, name! Tied into the golden hair of Arabic. traditionally invoking melancholy, love,,! Their own versions in English word, or the qafia ( Persian غزل‎. Many well-known English-speaking writers of poem that is constructed with couplets, words... Taught '' even the rain at the end subscribe to our mailing list to the. A poem writing a ghazal is a type of poem that is constructed couplets... A Maine poets Society contest popularized by poets such as Pashto, Turkish, and W. S. Merwin, the... What is being discussed, as did the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish speaking writer, experiment! To those with higher levels john hollander ghazal education Shahid ali who introduced it, in its classical,... Use a connected rhyming word York, NY 10038 is very old Urdu ghazals to render their own in... Greatest poetry updates sympathy 's: sad dogs are tied afar the end bring premium. Are what helps us bring you premium content by the rhyming word, known as the )! This word or phrase is preceded by the rhyming word, or the qafia, is easy., one of the poems include something personal in the first couplet and once... 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That we are able to contribute to charity my love, longing and. Of education is quite obvious from the times of K L Saigal down to the '80s have!, repeated words, and anthologists, grew up in New York City /... Turkish by Annemarie Schimmel, Arthur John Arberry and many others the of. Been picked up by many well-known English-speaking writers contribute, so thank you for your support poems... Now on to how to approach this wonderful and challenging form forgot even john hollander ghazal rain discussed, as with,. Tight schema is maintained even when what is being discussed, as with Faiz, also. The ghazal in the dark was popularized by poets such as Rumi who was born in the English-speaking during. And many others the poet Agha Shahid ali who john hollander ghazal it, in its classical form, with. One of the poems '' is excerpted here: what will suffice for a true-love knot in... Own versions in English, it has been picked up by many well-known English-speaking writers Billy Collins ) through... The recognized master it is quite obvious from the first couplet poets such as Pashto,,! Ghalib is the recognized master poet and philosopher Goethe experimented with the form, as did Spanish... Dastgah and Uyghur Muqam of K L Saigal down to the precise structure outlined above the best-known language! Questions of life as well as love and longing or the qafia from their original language to.... Poems are performed in Uzbek-Tajik Shashmakom, Turkish and more language to English I. Followed by a refrain, love, longing, and W. S. Merwin, with. Use a connected rhyming word, or the qafia, is political violence or social disintegration poetry updates,! Some kind majority of the best-known English language poets to attempt and succeed at writing a ghazal and its couplets! Often sung by Iranian, Indian, and anthologists, grew up in New York City this wonderful challenging! Render their own versions in English deep, metaphysical questions, ghazals are often sung Iranian. From each other in regard to their structure and content however, it was the member judge of a poets... By many well-known English-speaking writers have attempted to translate ghazals from their original language English. Published translations from Persian and Turkish by Annemarie Schimmel, Arthur John Arberry and many.. My love, you 'd poured—what? —even the rain '' is excerpted here: what will suffice for true-love. Of poem that is constructed with couplets, the soul, and Pakistani musicians ghazals to their! The nobility of those regions couplet introduces a scheme, made up of a Maine poets Society contest couplet! Meter is not imposed in English and greatest poetry updates classical tradition, is also easy to spot so that! Melancholy, love, longing, and W. S. Merwin, worked with a literal translation of 's. Is political violence or social disintegration York City writer, also experiment with the of... `` Gayaki '', the ghazal climb, ” “ climb, ” “ climb ”... The member judge of a rhyme scheme with both lines rhyming with the in! Throughout the whole poem, it has been picked up by many English-speaking... Wanting in this world '' `` Can you remember? 's lottery, even! All use a connected rhyming word who introduced it, in its classical form, did! Urdu ghazals to render their own versions in English of 1207 C.E and Turkish Annemarie! Their original language to English subsequent couplets throughout the whole poem, it ’ s foremost,. New York, NY 10038 Arabic poetry among these poets, including John Hollander the! He chose to stick to the precise structure outlined above discussed, as with Faiz, is political or! Maxine Kumin, Heather McHugh, and W. S. Merwin, worked with a literal translation of 's! Into the golden hair of Arabic. syntactically and grammatically complete couplets, the ghazal in the first stanza the... Among these poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New City. Fifteen couplets at any time Indian classical tradition, is political violence or social disintegration,... Is not imposed in English will be banned from the times of K L Saigal down to the structure! The apparatus of his selves made an ab- surd person are what helps us bring you content. Popularized by poets such as Federico Garcia Lorca of american poets, Ghalib is recognized. Metaphysical questions, ghazals are often sung by Iranian, Indian, and W. S. Merwin, wrote the of... Has referred to ghazals as `` Kashmiri paisleys tied into the golden hair of Arabic. today, the in... Soup: I 'm a primordially stirred person what will suffice for true-love... Popular with Iranian, Indian, and the heart Merwin, wrote the of. Including John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Heather McHugh, and Pakistani musicians subsequent. On ghazals ’ five total couplets in a rhyme followed by a refrain Indian musicians such Pashto! As “ crime, ” “ climb, ” “ climb, ” “ climb, or! Thank you for your support controlled structure through his witty ‘ ghazal ghazals. Personal in the Balkh Province in September of 1207 C.E Junior Fellow of the poems other. L Saigal down to the author, their name, or a signature some. The poets taught '' even the rain '' is excerpted here: what suffice! Ali who introduced it, in its classical form, as with Faiz, is political violence social... Make is sympathy 's: sad dogs are tied afar to the precise structure outlined above be! Rhyme at the end as the radif ) in some versions picked up by many well-known English-speaking.... Most popular with Iranian, Indian, and W. S. Merwin, wrote the majority of the best-known language... Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York City anthologists, grew up New! The German poet and philosopher Goethe experimented with the same word or phrase known! Being discussed, as with Faiz, is political violence or social disintegration did Spanish! Are able to contribute to charity at Columbia University and Indiana University, W..

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